Dictionary

Procedures and skills

The procedures nurses assist with and the skills they perform themselves.

lactated Ringer's solutionAn isotonic IV fluid containing water, sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and lactate.

laparoscopySurgery or an exam done through small cuts in the belly, using a thin, lighted tube with a camera.

last menstrual periodThe first day of a person's most recent menstrual period.

lateralToward the side of the body, away from the middle line.

lateral positionLying on one side.

lavageWashing out a body cavity or organ with repeated flows of fluid.

Leopold maneuversFour steps of feeling the pregnant abdomen with the hands to find how the fetus is lying in the uterus.

lithotomyA position lying on the back with the hips and knees bent and the legs raised and spread apart, often in stirrups.

logrollTo turn a client as one unit, keeping the head, neck, spine and hips in a straight line.

lumbar punctureA procedure in which a needle is put between two bones in the lower back to take out spinal fluid or give medicine; a spinal tap.

lumenThe open space inside a tube, such as a blood vessel, the intestine or a catheter.